Lexi's Undoing

~40~

Lexi's heart galloped as she jumped behind the wheel of her Lexus. She never attempted to drive when she was upset, but she had to get the hell away from the estate, and the garage was closer than the stable.

After a moment of fumbling under the mat for the key, she cranked up the engine, backed into the driveway and whipped the car around. A clean getaway would have been ideal, but as soon as she shifted into drive, someone rounded the east corner of the house. She couldn't see who it was, and she didn't care. Lexi was in no mood to talk. Anyone attempting to pacify her might get a knee to the groin.

Slamming her foot on the gas pedal, she sped toward the gate as she pressed the remote, never slowing as the wrought iron hinges creaked open. With tears blurring her vision, she squeezedthrough with inches to spare and barreled toward the main road. Lexi knew exactlywhere she was going. To her secret spot. Jackie O had taken her there dozens of times, and her horse was the only other soul who knew the way.

As soon as Lexi skidded onto the main road, she floored it, and while the engine of her Lexus whined, Lexi cursed, yelling at the empty passenger seat as if her Uncle Z was strapped in nice and tight. 

"You arrogant prick! All these years! All these years you've been lying to me!"

Lexi refused to be angry at her mom. At least, not yet. There had to be a good reason why she'd kept Lexi in the dark. And Lexi knew the reason. Zeus! The arrogant prick! He didn't give a flying flip about Lexi. He was using her like he used everyone else, forcing his will and getting his way because he was some all-powerful god.

"And you lied today, you insane bastard! You said I was mortal, right to my face!"

Lexi wiped her eyes with her sleeve, correcting the wheel when the car veered over the yellow line. At the hairpin turn, she whizzed around the corner like a jockey on the Grand Prix circuit. She knew her car's limitations, which were very few, and she kept her speed even as she leaned into the next turn. Then she gunned it at the straightaway.

The state park closed at sunset, but Lexi knew how to bypass that, although she was usually on her horse, so passage could get rough. When she saw the sign for Monkey Paw Gorge directing her to take the next left, she blew past it and pulled off the road at the Authorized Personnel Only sign. After a short, bumpy ride, she nosed into the trees and parked.

Thankfully, the moon was nearly full, offering enough light to see the illegal trail she and Jackie O used for their excursions. Unfortunately, navigation through the untamed wilderness was hampered by Lexi's three-inch heels, but she wasn't taking them off when any number of evils lurked on the forest floor, some of them poisonous.

After aerating the soil with her Kate Spades, the sharp brambles gave way to smooth rocks as Lexi arrived at the boulder field next to the river. Using one as a seat, she pulled off her ruined shoes and stockings. As she picked dirt from a gem-encrusted heel, she realized that a two-hundred-dollar pair of shoes damaged by mud was nothing compared to her current quagmire. 

Her life had been turned upside down. Tossed indifferently into the gorge by a brute masquerading as her friend. Now that she knew her godfather was her real dad, she hated him. Zeus! Zeus was her fucking dad!

Lexi's body trembled as the depth of her discovery finally hit. She was a demigod. Holy shit! Did that mean she could throw lightning? Spit fire? Could she spit at Zeus? She probably should have been excited, but that's not how it felt. Pain welled inside Lexi's chest when she thought of her dad, the one who had raised her. Was he playing a role like the rest of them, or had he been left out of that loop? Did he know she wasn't his baby girl?